Punishment For Slandering

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CHAPTER 39

Mildred knew this was the end for him it seemed like the queen had come prepared. There was no other way out for him.

"Aeverie, please do as I have said and hurry."

"Yes, my queen." Just as she turned around to leave, a voice cried out.

"Wait." Era turned to her side to face him as she gazed down at him from the corners of her eyes.

"Please no need for that. I would speak the truth."

"I would ask again, who ordered you to let me ride that horse and who gave the order for the saddle to be cut?"

He hesitated briefly but finally he opened his mouth to say the answer. "It was her lady, Diona and his Lordship, Caspian."

"Insolence!"

Everyone turned their heads in the direction from whence the voice had come from. Unknown to them, when all these had begun, Lord Caspian's Paige boy had noticed it and rushed quickly to inform the wicked Lord.

Luckily for Mildred, he came just in time before Era issued her verdict.

"And how does this matter concerns you?" Era asked the second he got close to where she stood.

"It concerns me because he slanders my name and that of my daughter to escape punishment."

"My Lord, I am not lying," Mildred tried to speak up before he was denied completely.

"Silence!" Caspian yelled out in fury. "How dare you speak when I am speaking!"

"I could say the same to you, Lord Caspain. Are you not breaking protocol by not first paying respect to her grace and acknowledging her presence first? Instead, you not only insult her but you yell in her presence."

"And who are you to teach me protocol?" Caspian asked, directing his aggression on Aeverie.

"I am the Lady royal of her majesty, Queen…"

"Silence. I can have you grovel before me."

"Enough!"

Era was already sick and tired of his bossy attitude as though he was the king. Swiftly he looked at Era. His eyes dimmed a fraction as his brows knitted.

If one looked carefully, one would see the veins bulging out on his forehead and at the sides thereof.

"It is you who are disrespectful. How dare you walk into my presence and scold my lady royal without my permission?"

"But your majesty she spoke out of turn."

"Is it you who did not speak out of turn? If you did the needful, by greeting me and apologized now before me, then I would forget that you actually offended me, just now."

"Hmm, you wish for my greeting? I am his majesty's Lord in command."

"My Lord you go too far. She is the queen and her word is equivalent to that of the king."

"Not the way I see it. If not that his majesty pitied her sorry kingdom and uplifted her, do you think she has the gits to speak in my presence?"

"Guts or no guts, kingdom or not. I am the queen and you will respect me," Era said challengingly.

"Ha," a bitter small laughter erupted out of his mouth and his gaze turned bad. If looks could kill, he would have sliced Era into a thousand pieces now.

"Why you jest, know that you are accountable for treason. Let us see what your almighty king thinks when his most loyal subject committed the act of treason."

"You want to know what I think about your respect?" Era did not say anything. She too turned a bit to her side and looked down at him in an imposing manner.

She was not going to be bullied by the likes of him especially when she had one over him and was so close to seeing his useless daughter suffer.

No one spoke, instead, everyone watched cautiously to see what indeed would happen.

"This is what I think."

In one swift move, he withdrew his sword from the hands of his Paige boy and before anyone could react, thinking he was going to harm the queen, Lord Caspian swung his sword and slit the throat of…

0_0

COUGH!

Everybody paused. It was as though time stopped moving as well. Even Era could not believe her eyes. So quickly had things become terrible.

Mildred clutched at his throat with both hands as droplets of blood flowed out uncontrollably.

"Yo… Your maj…"

THUD!

With a loud sound, he took his last breath and fell lifeless to the ground.

Era blinked. This was a nightmare. There was no way she had expected that things would go this way.

At one moment she had got him to confess. All she needed was to guard him and use it against Diona and put an end to her reign of terror and evilness but who would have thought.

"Lord Caspian," Era said in a low voice, her brain still processing what she just saw.

"For a person who had not yet seen the terrors of war, I suggest you stay away from matters of the kingdom and leave it to the men to rule."

"How dare you pass judgement on a man without his majesty's order. This is clear treason. You have proven to act independently of the crown."

"Oh no, my queen. I never did such a thing. His majesty has ordained me his regent. My word is the same as the king and so are my actions."

"What wrong had he done to make you draw your sword against him?"

"He slandered the crown. Slandering me, is the same as slandering his majesty. Now I suggest you go back to your chambers and sleep, YOUR MAJESTY! Next time be sure not to cross me and for these… I should do the same to them."

He pointed his sword at them but Era quickly stretched for her hand to block him. They are not in any way related to this. Leave now or…"

"Whatever. At least I did not hear them slander. If they so much as try it, I would not hesitate to skewer them."